"The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love." Bryant Gumbel

Results tagged ‘ Matt Daley ’

That’s a good question. As you can see, I haven’t blogged in quite some time.

Let me tell you, I’ve developed quite a larger respect for those of you who can work a full time job and write a halfway decent blog as well. I work a part time job and can’t find the time to do much of anything.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’d know that I spent the end of August in Boston and New York. Well, I took about 700 pictures at the Red Sox game and another 700 at the Yankees game. I, by some miracle, managed to edit the Red Sox pictures down to 214; however, I have yet to start on the Yankees pictures. So you must still await the time when those will be posted. But, here’s a quick preview with a couple pictures:

Okay, so my Yankees pictures didn’t turn out great, I certainly don’t claim to be a photographer.

After checking the latest leaders board, I was surprised to see that I had moved up to the lovely number four. It’s a HUGE honor to be among that number, I have the utmost admiration for the blogs above me and often lust after having the capacities to write as well as they do, I lust after being able to write as well as many of you out there. So, I figured that since all of you have helped me to attain number four, it was about time for me to stop being so lazy and actually write something up.

So, I thought about it… and thought about it… and thought about it. It wasn’t just work keeping me busy, it was writers block. “These people put me at number four, they’ve been reading my stuff, how can I possibly live up to their expectations?” I admired my last blog, it was written with heart, I could post up anything, and it just would lack heart, passion, and thoughtfulness. So I pondered over this more, “Think Emily, think.”

Finally, it struck. How could I have not thought of this before?

My blog is about baseball, mostly about the Rockies. The answer had been sitting in front of me the entire time. The Rockies were in a slump before this event occurred, I’m in a slump. The Rockies managed to get out of it, remember how?

It was none other than the new skipper, Jim Tracy.

By a stroke of genius, the very man who helped get the Rockies out of their slump could help me get out of my slump, and it works out, he sits in the dugout with the number four sewn to his jersey.

Yes, a stroke of brilliance that I actually owe to our skipper.

I remember looking at Twitter when I read the news that Clint Hurdle was to be released by the Rockies. I can’t say I was surprised; rumors were swirling about the fate of his career. I haven’t ben a baseball fan long, so when Jim Tracy stepped up to the plate to take Hurdle’s spot, i had no clue who he was.

With that in mind, I won’t give you the history of Jim Tracy, his career, or where he’s been with his life. Instead, I’ll tell you how I feel about him. I’ve had about three and a half months to get to know our dear new manager, and I immediately was in awe of him.

Despite the fact that he was at Coors Field and I was sitting at home, I could tell the demeanor in the dugout was different. Do you know what I mean? It’s like when you get bad vibes from someone, you don’t have to talk to them to be getting bad vibes from them, you just know. That’s how it was with Jim… only, not bad vibes, just a different feeling with the players in the dugout.

The best thing about Skip is the exuberance he shows for his team. When I look to a baseball team, I see brothers; they’re more than teammates, more than friends, they’re family. I love to see the joy in Jim’s face when the Rockies win it in a walk off. He doesn’t hesitate to show the love for his team, he’s genuine.

During the post game show, you’ll see him talking to the press and he never fails to give credit to the other team when credit is due. “They outplayed us,” “we were outplayed,” “we didn’t play good baseball.” Tracy shows a large admiration for this amazing game, and I have grown to have the utmost respect for him.

He’s a powerful feature in the clubhouse. When he came in on May 29, I had no idea what to expect. A change in the middle of the season can either make or break it, and fortunately for the Rockies, he made it. It was a whole new ball club, a winning ball club.

I can’t help but admire our skipper. He’s calm, collected, and that’s what’s important in the clubhouse. If you stress out down there, you’re going to be putting stress on your whole team. I’ve seen Jim thrown out once, and anyone could see that the Ump was wrong, even the other team had to know the Ump was wrong. He’s a legit guy, and I am absolutely a fan of this man and the demeanor that he brings to this team. It’s obvious he’s turned them around to be a winning team, one that is a threat and contender for the post season.

One last thing to note: I have quite the favorite relieving pitcher, and the numbers on his jersey happen to add up to four. So, I have to give a shout out to him as well. Since Tom Runnells is a bench coach and the Rockies don’t have a 13, it must be 31… MATT DALEY!!

Yes, if you follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you’ll know that I have a special place in my heart for this pitcher. As I flew into LaGuardia Airport, I looked down and actually SAW Citi Field!! Then I thought of Matt Daley, I know, nerd. When in New York, I attempted to get into Citi Field, but apparently I do not know the lingo of scalpers (you’ll hear more about that later). Anyway, on April 25 against the Dodgers, I watched as this 27-year-old pitcher that I had never heard of pitch… like a weirdo.

“Um… who is this guy?”

Have you seen the way Daley pitches?! It’s completely unconventional and completely phenomenal.

I have so much respect for Matt Daley when I see him take the mound, I mean, the guy wears a pink Dora the Explorer backpack… and pulls it off! We also know that I’m a sucker for high socks and Matt is always rocking the high socks. Because of my love for Matt Daley, I know I have turned some of you into Matt Daley lovers as well.

It is times like these where we need to unite as fans of Matt Daley, and what better place to do so than on Facebook? An entire fan page devoted to the amazingness of Dora the Explorer backpacks, high socks, and unconventional pitching; a page devoted to the amazingness that is Matt Daley. I feel like after that sentence there should have been one of those like… sound effects and sparkles so it was like, “SHING!! Sparkle, sparkle.” I guess that’s how I’d spell out that sound effect.

So, I would encourage you to join this group, because Matt Daley, well, he’s fantastic.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.